Rhea Rollmann (she/her) is an award-winning journalist, writer and audio producer based in St. John’s, NL, and is the author of A Queer History of Newfoundland (Engen Books, 2023). She’s a founding editor of The Independent NL and her journalism has appeared in Briarpatch Magazine, CBC, Xtra Magazine, Chatelaine, PopMatters, Riddle Fence, Macleans and more. Her academic work has been published in the Journal of Gender Studies, Labor Studies Journal, Canadian Woman Studies, Journal of Work and Society, Canadian Theatre Review, Canadian Review of Sociology, Screen Bodies and elsewhere.
Her work has garnered three Atlantic Journalism Awards, the Andrea Walker Memorial Prize for Feminist Health Journalism and multiple CAJ award nominations. Her 2023 book A Queer History of Newfoundland was longlisted for the Winterset Award, and in 2024 she was a short-listed nominee for the NL Provincial Human Rights Award. She’s President of CUPE Local 4554 at Memorial University, a member of CUPE’s National Pink Triangle Committee, and also serves on the Board of Directors of Trans Support NL, the National Community Radio Association, and the Global Association Against Traffic in Women. She also has an extensive background in labour organizing and queer/trans activism, and is Program Director at CHMR-FM, a community radio station in St. John’s, NL.
Workshop
Introduction to Interviewing Techniques
Interviewing skills are vital for both reporters and labour activists. Whether you’re a journalist covering a story or a shop steward preparing to file a grievance, the effectiveness of your work will hinge heavily on your ability to conduct meaningful and substantive interviews. But what does that mean and how do you go about it? This workshop offers an introduction to interviewing techniques, exploring not just the mechanics of the process but also how to conduct respectful, sensitive and trauma-informed interviews.